


conquer

by getoffmyhead



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 11:46:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18387818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/getoffmyhead/pseuds/getoffmyhead
Summary: She was instantly charmed by them, the new champions. They were young and boisterous and rowdy. They clearly loved each other, but most championship teams do. She had seen them all, champagne-soaked and smiling, all bubbling over with joy, but this team was one of her favorites.





	conquer

**Author's Note:**

> I like to think of this as my "don't take this all too seriously" story. It was an exercise in getting the mental poison out before playoff hockey because I'm really freakin nervous, and it turned into something I liked enough to share.

June 2009

She was instantly charmed by them, the new champions. They were young and boisterous and rowdy. They clearly loved each other, but most championship teams do. She had seen them all, champagne-soaked and smiling, all bubbling over with joy, but this team was one of her favorites.

Two players caught her attention before they even left the ice. The young captain, with his strong, steady hands, and the one who had clearly lost his grasp on English in the excitement. He trembled at her touch when he was trying to be brave. Even when he was laughing with teammates, inside he was overwhelmed. The captain wasn't scared at all. This was inevitable, their meeting. He'd been told for years. 

She joined them in the locker room. They sang terribly and hugged each other, and she rejoiced with them. 

She joined them on the plane home, too. The captain touched her often. She liked how his touch felt, not possessive. It was more like he was reaching to calm her, like she might be afraid of flying. She would have told him, then, that she was much too old to be afraid of anything, if she could.

"When does it happen?" the goalie asked, peering at her. He wasn't the only one on the plane steering clear, watching her out of the corners of their eyes. 

The captain leaned back and put an arm around her with a casual laugh. "Not on the plane," he assured. "Not until we're alone."

The goalie looked her over like she wasn't real. 

The Russian boy had wrangled some of his second language back under control since they left the ice. He leaned across the aisle and nodded at the goalie. "You scare?"

"No!"

"It's okay be scare, Flower."

"I'm not! I'm not scared."

She could see right down to the inside of him, though, and he was scared. He would take a lot of coaxing when she visited him. He would need to be calmed, assured. 

"There's nothing to be afraid of," the captain said, and his fingers stroked down her side.

"Right," the goalie said in French. "Nothing but an ancient god bound into a big metal cup that only gets to come out once a year to feed on the strongest hockey team in the league." 

She wasn't offended. His words were true. He simply wasn't aware of how easy it would be, how pleasurable. He would know, after the coming summer. She would change his mind. She always did. 

******************* 

The captain took her to a familiar house. Mario looked just the same to her, steady as a mountain. She saw the way the captain deferred to him and understood some of his energy. They were similar, the old captain and the new. Stable, reserved, and strong beyond measure. 

Someone threw her in the pool again, a tradition with the team. The captain diligently carried her back out, carefully cradling her. It wouldn't have hurt if she got broken, but it was annoying. She didn't like being dented or torn. It marred her beauty, and she loved being beautiful. 

Perhaps to limit the damage, the captain took her with him when he went into Mario's guest house. She could see right away that he lived there. His presence was everywhere.

"There you go," the captain said, setting her down in the bedroom by the closet. "Safe and sound."

He patted her and straightened up, moved to go away, and she reached out. Her fingers wrapped around his wrist. He froze in place with his back to her. 

"Sid," she whispered, trying out words again after a long sleep. He turned around haltingly, an awed expression etched onto his face. She could hear his heart beating fast. He was still shirtless from being in the pool. His shoulders were thick with muscle. She stepped close and put her hands on them. 

"Oh, wow," he whispered. "You're gorgeous."

She smiled. "I'm glad you think so."

"I thought- It's not my day. I didn't think you would come out until-"

"Until we were alone? We are, aren't we?"

Sid looked her over in wonderment. "Wow," he said again. "If I had known I would have, like... shaved."

She laughed at him and pulled him closer. "You're fine," she assured. She was a god of warriors. She didn't see the beauty in smooth skin. 

"It's just, uh... I told Geno I'd come back. I wanted to bring you here because everybody's drunk. I thought I could keep you safe."

"That's very considerate," she purred, pulling on his shoulders. He followed her without resistance and slid his hands onto her hips. The silky fabric of her silver dress rippled under his fingers. 

"I kind of thought you'd be naked."

"Would you like me to be?"

He swallowed. His eyes were still full of wonder when they looked over her, soaking her in. He bent in like he needed permission to kiss her, as if he hadn't won that right. She tipped her head to the side and let their lips come together. 

They kissed for a long time before a voice from the front door called Sid's name. 

"That's Geno," Sid said guiltily. "Are you... Do you have to change?"

She shook her head. "He's won this right as well. He can join us if you want."

Sid looked delighted by that. "Really?"

"Yes, really," she said, pleasantly surprised at his wild side. 

"Stay right here, okay? I'll get him."

She watched him rush away, out the door of the bedroom and down the short hall to the living room. She could hear him talking to Geno, the murmur of their voices. It took longer than she expected. Normally, when people were offered a night with her, they took it. She pouted a little to herself and hooked her fingers into the thin shoulder straps of her dress. 

When Sid reappeared, she was naked and laid out on his bed. He looked pleased. Geno, coming in behind him, looked floored. He froze in the doorway. 

"Hi," she said in Russian. It had the opposite of the intended effect. He looked like he might bolt. 

"You speak Russian?" Sid asked. He was working on the laces of his swim trunks by the bed. 

"I speak every language, child."

Sid wrinkled his nose at the reminder of his youth but didn't protest. Perhaps Mario trained him well. He shoved his trunks down and looked up at Geno. His mood dropped. "G?"

Geno glanced at her like she was the sun, as though his eyes would burn if he looked too long. "Hi," he finally managed. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting."

She laughed and stretched her arms above her head. "Don't be silly. He wants you here. I do, too."

"Everything okay?" Sid asked.

"Of course," she told him. "Come. Both of you."

Sid bounded onto the bed, all enthusiasm. Geno obviously forced his feet to move.

"My boy," she purred in Russian. "What's the matter?"

Geno swallowed hard and dragged his eyes up to meet her gaze. "I... I'm not sure if I can do this."

"Why?"

"Because..." Geno glanced at Sid, who was propped up listening to them talk intently. "Please... Don't be offended. You're very beautiful. But I can't, um..."

"Is it because I'm a woman?"

Geno jerked a nod. He looked ashamed. That wouldn't do at all. 

"Well then... It's good we have Sid, isn't it?"

Geno looked up with wide eyes, and she smiled when his heart skipped. 

"I can tell he likes you. He admires you. He thinks you play the most beautiful hockey he's ever seen." She tossed her head back and laughed. "He does have a one-track mind."

She got rewarded with a small, genuine laugh from Geno at that. 

"But it's more than that. He wanted to invite you. He thinks he needs an excuse to touch you and that I can give him that."

Geno looked at Sid with shock in his eyes. Sid looked back with an easy grin. "G, come on." He reached out a hand. Geno closed the distance to the bed and took it. 

She was careful not to interfere at first, allowing the boys to find each other. She prodded Sid, here and there, first to kiss Geno, then to run a hand over his body. Sid's instinct to please kept his attention torn. He wanted to touch them both. She gently knocked his hand away when he reached for her and guided him to Geno instead.

It didn't take much prompting for Sid to find himself on top of Geno and pushing his swim trunks down his long legs, kissing down his chest as he did. She touched herself unselfconsciously, earning a lustful glance up, but he kept going until Geno was naked and he was so close to his dick. She thought she might have to push him again, to suggest that he use his mouth, but he was ahead of her. He trailed his lips up Geno's shaft and grinned when Geno groaned. 

"Fuck, Sid," Geno sighed. His hand touched Sid's hair softly. 

"Gonna make it?" Sid chirped, like he wasn't subtly pressing his own erection down on the bed to relieve some pressure. 

Geno might have retorted if Sid hadn't swallowed him down. Instead of complaining, he gasped. She ran her fingers gently down his shoulder, unobtrusively participating. A desperate sort of pleasure flowed off Geno. As much as he was trying to simply enjoy Sid's mouth around his cock, the depth of his feelings kept getting in the way. 

"Shh," she soothed, and he jolted like he'd forgotten about her. "It's okay."

Geno squeezed his eyes shut against the intrusion of outside influence. She ran her fingers down his arm, since that hadn't seemed to bother him, and she did need to be involved to absorb the benefit of their energy. She was weak from a long sleep. The mere touch of Geno's buzzing pleasure, curling like smoke around her fingers, made her shiver. 

Sid pulled off. He looked really pleased with himself when he saw Geno heaving breaths on the mattress, a total wreck. "Don't come yet, buddy," he said with a pat to Geno's hip. "We have a job to do."

Geno looked at her a little apprehensively again and she smiled. "Don't worry," she said in Russian. "He can get you off. I just need to be here." It would be enough for just one of them to empty himself into her, though she wished she could insist on both. 

She sat up to put a hand on Sid's shoulder. His energy pulsed in purple waves, less erratic than Geno's. He was thrilled, but not terrified. He was prepared. She pulled him in to kiss him and then pushed him back down between Geno's thighs. 

"I want to watch, first. Suck him off."

"You sure?"

"Very sure," she encouraged, sitting cross-legged beside him where she could stroke Geno's elbow and touch Sid's back at the same time. 

Sid ducked back down and put his mouth around Geno's cock again without hesitation. Geno made a pained sound. He was very close, closer than Sid probably realized. 

When Geno came, he grasped her wrist. She could feel the desperate pulse of his orgasm in his energy, flowing out of him and into her. It wasn't exactly what she needed, but it was enough to give her a heady feeling of relief. 

Sid swallowed every drop before he sat up, looking a little dazed himself. She wasn't waiting any longer. She'd had her appetizer. Now she wanted the main course. She tugged on Sid impatiently and he followed her lead, climbing over her when she laid back. She reached down between them to put his cock inside of her and he shuddered. 

"Oh god," Sid murmured, ducking his head to put his forehead against her shoulder. Geno watched with heavy-lidded eyes. When he reached out to pet Sid's damp hair, Sid seemed to come back to life. To her relief, he started to move. 

Sid wasn't going to last, that much was clear. His hips couldn't keep a steady pace, as hard as he was working to stave off the inevitable. Geno certainly wasn't helping anything, running his hand over Sid's shoulders, down his back, to where his hips were working his dick in and out of her. Sid propped himself up on one elbow to reach down and touch her. It wasn't the point of their encounter, for her to get off, but he seemed determined. She shooed his hand away and took over. It would be easier on them both. 

Her orgasm pulled Sid over the edge, too. He said Geno's name, so softly she wasn't sure Geno even heard him until she saw the cautious, eager hope dawning in his face. Sid pulled out with shaking limbs and collapsed half on top of Geno. Geno looked more than happy to bear his weight. 

She stayed with them as they slept. She would sleep enough when summer was over. She didn't want to rest when she didn't have to. Throughout the night, Sid stayed pressed up against Geno, holding him close. 

In the morning, when it was time for her to go, she touched Sid's arm while Geno showered. "Be good to him. He'll be your greatest ally."

Sid looked confused. "He already is. We're a great team. They even have a name for us. The Two-Headed Mo-"

"Don't act like you're stupid. You can't pull it off."

Sid stopped and looked ashamed. 

"The boy adores you."

"I feel the same way. He's amazing. I wish..."

She sighed and put a hand on her hip impatiently. "Go on."

"Is this a cup wish?"

She smirked. "A wish that must come true because you told it to the Stanley Cup? I'm afraid that's not quite how it works. But..." she said, seeing Geno behind him in the open doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist. "I'll see what I can do."

"I wish we could... be together. Me and Geno. For real."

Geno's breath caught and he coughed. Sid whipped around to see him there. 

"Shit."

"You mean?" Geno asked sharply. 

"Well... Yeah, I don't just go around saying stuff like that."

Geno's smile was the first one she'd seen on him without a measure of uncertainty. He crossed the room in three strides and kissed Sid like he'd found his paradise. 

When she saw Geno again a month later in his hometown, he bubbled with confident energy. His hands didn't shake when he carried her through a parade in his honor. He spent an hour on the phone with Sid when she finally got him alone. She smiled at their easy interaction, the way Geno laughed comfortably with his boyfriend, and she barely minded when the best he could offer was to jerk off with her in the room.

Sid took care of her in spades when she visited him just a week after, though he also spent a lot of time giggling into his phone with Geno on the other end of the line. 

The last time she saw them was just before she went to sleep. Sid carried her into an empty room with Geno right behind him. They were dressed for the game, geared up for battle. She touched Sid's cheek and kissed him while she held Geno's hand. "Be good, my champions."

"Oh, don't worry. This isn't goodbye," Sid assured. "We're going to win again."

She smiled because she'd been told that before. Sid was surer than most, more likely to do it than most, but life had a way of ruining plans. She yawned, and Geno smiled. 

"Sleepy?"

"It's been a long summer."

"Good summer, too?"

"Very good. Goodnight, boys. And good luck."

They took advantage of the empty room to kiss before Sid picked her up and Geno got the door. Sid had to go out last so he could carry her onto the ice, where they would raise their banner to commemorate their championship. She was glad she had his strong hands to hoist her because she wasn't sure she could stand on her own anymore. She was exhausted. She barely made it through the banner raising and into her case before she dropped into a deep sleep. 

*************** 

June 2016

It was seven years before she saw them again. It was the way of things. Mostly, she never saw her champions twice. Most of them spent the rest of their lives away from her, never daring to touch her again for fear of cursing themselves. 

She knew the captain's hands the moment he touched her. He still felt steady and strong, but the strength was rooted in a way it hadn't been before. It was sunk into a wellspring of bygone pain. What had he been through to get to her again?

Geno felt different, too. Gone was any measure of awkward shyness, of feeling like he didn't belong. He knew he was supposed to be holding her this time. His lips lingered on her when he took her in his hands and he lifted her high above his head. 

It was almost better the second time, getting to see the men her boys had grown into. She was relieved to see them still on the same team. She expected, when Sid took her away from the party at Mario's house to be alone, that Geno would join them. 

The door closed, and Sid turned to her with a weary smile. "Hello again."

"Hi Sid."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her, but it wasn't as easy as it had once been. He was holding back, hesitating. 

"Sid," she whispered. "Go get him."

Sid drew back with a swell of palpable pain and a smile. "Sorry, he can't this time. He's engaged."

"Engaged?" she asked, confused. 

"Yeah, he's getting married."

"Not to you?"

"No. Not to me."

"You didn't date after..."

"We did... We just didn't work out."

She drew back from him. "You didn't work out?" she said sharply.

"I mean, it happens. Sometimes people just don't-"

"Don't lie to me," she snapped. 

Sid dropped his gaze. "Sorry."

She looked him over critically. Again, she could see the deep-seated pain, the anguish he'd been through. Nothing even close had existed in him the last time they met. She sighed and reached out a hand. "Come here."

He gratefully took her hand and let her lead him to the bed. It was the same bedroom as last time, but it was no longer his. The room felt empty, soulless. 

"What happened?"

"With me and Geno?"

She ran her eyes over his face and shook her head. She touched along his jaw, where some of the broken parts lingered, put back together with materials other than flesh and bone. "What happened here?"

Sid ducked his head and laughed a little. "Puck to the face. It deflected up and..." He grimaced. "I was barely back, too."

"Back from what?"

"A concussion. A long one. I thought, uh... For a while there, it looked like I wasn't coming back at all. I sure never thought I'd see you again."

She could see, as he spoke, the desperation he'd felt, the need to prove himself after returning. She ran her thumb along the scar on his jaw. "Did you neglect him? Did you focus too much on hockey?"

"No," Sid said firmly. "Geno just didn't... He didn't get it. He got hurt, too, but it was never going to end his career. He didn't have people talking to him like he was dead, like his life was just over."

"You resented him?"

"No, it wasn't that. It was just..." Sid trailed off and huffed out a breath. "I couldn't give him what he needed. So he left."

She ran her fingertips along his shoulders and cupped his cheek. He pulled away and rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes.

"But it was a long time ago. We're okay now."

That wasn't quite true, but she saw no benefit in pressing the issue. She moved to put her leg over him and straddle his lap. 

"I'm glad you're here," she said simply and moved to kiss him. 

It wasn't until Geno picked her up two months later that she got her answers. He met her at his parents' house, thankfully without his fiancé, and took her to a solitary room before any festivities. 

He barely shut the door before she had him in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry."

Geno hugged her back and ducked his head to bury his face against her shoulder. "It's okay. Not even a cup wish can last forever, right?"

She didn't let go. She wanted to squeeze him until everything was alright, until he didn't feel like he had a deep well of pain inside him. 

Geno kept her close throughout the day, but they were never alone again until that night. She lay next to him while he jerked off, silent and dutiful, and then held him close under the covers. 

"Where's your fiancé?" she asked, though the thought made her feel a little sick.

"America. He lives in Pittsburgh." He said it emotionlessly, like he didn't mind that they were apart for the summer. 

"What's he like?" 

Geno swallowed. "He's nice. He's a lawyer. Um... His parents were Russian, so he gets... me, I guess. He speaks Russian, kind of. Bad Russian. But it's nice not to have to think in English all the time."

She didn't miss the way he said nothing about the man he supposedly loved enough to marry, just as she didn't miss the way he hadn't called him all day. She had seen Geno in love. This looked nothing like that. 

"Was that why you and Sid broke up? Cultural differences?" It didn't seem possible for such a small thing to tear them apart.

"No. I wanted to... I was naïve, at the time. I wanted to come out before God and country." He laughed, but the bitter, hollow sound of it was jarring. "Sid didn't. I chose a bad time to ask. He came back from this long concussion. He had been depressed for so long. I never wanted to lose him like that again. So I pushed him. I said I wanted to tell people about us, damn the consequences."

"That doesn't sound unreasonable."

"Well... He didn't want to. He kept putting me off and putting me off, and I finally just... It was my fault, really. I told him we were either coming out or breaking up. I just really thought he'd pick me."

" _He_ broke up with _you_?" she asked, incredulous. 

Geno shrugged. "Like I said, I forced him, gave him no choice."

He didn't get any further before he started crying. She hugged him close and soothed him, and inside she burned. 

******************

Sid's day came sooner than she could deal with. She wasn't prepared for him, so soon on the heels of comforting Geno, feeling the four years of pain he'd dealt with playing hockey with someone he loved so agonizingly. Thankfully, they were in public most of the day. He took her to a parade and then to a party, which lasted well into the night. By the time he retired with her behind a closed door, it was very late. He put her down on the floor and waited for a beat. 

"What?" he asked, looking around. "Is there like a camera or something? Better not be. This is my bedroom."

She stayed, a solid column of metal sat on the floor, immobile.

"What the hell?" Sid muttered, staring at her. "You're seriously not going to talk to me?"

His impetuous tone didn't improve her mood. He had rejected her blessing of his relationship and lied to her about it. Cup wishes might not be guarantees, but they weren't gifts to be thrown away. She brought him luck in love, and he deliberately let it go.

"I don't get it," he groaned as he flopped back on his bed.

She waited until he was asleep to move to the edge of the bed. He was restless in slumber, looking unhappy. She reluctantly touched his cheek and he seemed to settle. 

In the morning, before he began to stir, she went back to her spot and settled again. The summer drew closer to ending. She grew sleepier with every day that passed and skipping the energy from the captain would do nothing to temper the exhaustion. 

"You're cursing me, aren't you?" Sid asked emotionlessly when he saw her. He rubbed a hand through his hair and sighed.

She was. She had only done it a small handful of times over a hundred years, but there were some champions she never wanted to see again. Just as she could bring good luck with a blessing, she could bring bad luck with a curse. 

He dragged through his morning routine and brought a rag in to polish her up. 

"I'm sorry," he said mournfully when she gleamed, but sorry wouldn't restore the gift she'd given him. Sorry wouldn't make Geno's heart feel whole again.

Sid gave her back to her handler, and she continued her journey around the world until it was time, again, for her to go to sleep. When he touched her the night of the season opener, he felt truly cursed, aged and exhausted. He knew what her rejection meant for him and for his team. He would never lay hands on her again. She would move on, through the years, and she would forget him. His name, etched on her skin, would fade into memory and then further into nothing. 

He carried her dutifully when it was time to go out to the ice, but she felt no joy in his heart. He gently placed her on a table for the banner raising and took her up again to give her back to her handler. When he put her in her case, his hands lingered before they drew away, the last time she would ever feel his touch. 

***************

June 2017

She stirred in her case when she felt it moving. She'd been transported by plane to the venue and woken briefly from her nap to realize what was happening. A team had won three games out of four. A team was in reach of her, would lift her with a single victory. Hours later, her handler opened her case and she knew the team had done it. It was time to meet her new champions. 

She was stunned when she felt the captain's hands pick her up. Sid, the captain of the team she cursed, lifted her into the air with a howl of victory. How had they done it without her blessing? 

As Sid passed her around, she could feel the pain from the team. Not one of them was injury-free. Getting to her had hurt them more than most, but somehow they had done it. 

She remained confused until Sid and Geno both held her and kissed her together. She could feel Sid's smug message, Geno's tender assurance. They were together. They had worked their relationship out, fixed what was broken and undone her curse. 

They won in Nashville, which meant it would be a long time before she could talk to them. She felt impatient as she went around the locker room. The joy from the team barely appeased her.

They flew home that night. The whole team was drunk and giddy. When they stumbled out of the plane and practically danced down the runway, Sid carried her steadily. He put her in a car and slid in beside her. Geno got in on her other side. Behind her, hidden from the view of the person driving, Sid found Geno's hand and laced their fingers together. They felt peaceful and happy. 

They went to Sid's house, the same one he'd brought her to last year. There were people around, Sid's family, so she still couldn't interrogate him. He put her down in the living room while they all chatted. She seethed with impatience. They seemed in no hurry to get her alone, though Geno ran a hand along her a couple of times, a soothing gesture. 

Finally, Sid picked her up again to take her to bed. She smacked his chest as soon as he set her down in his bedroom. "You defied me."

Geno chuckled in the doorway, legs crossed at the ankles while he watched them. "You get used to it. Not even a god stop Sidney Crosby."

Sid shrugged. "I figured... You cursed me because I screwed up a cup wish, huh? I couldn't let that happen to my team. It wasn't their fault. Besides," he continued with a rougish grin, "if we didn't win, you'd never know we got back together." 

"Thanks to me," she huffed, and Sid had the decency to look ashamed. 

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"Pretty much," she mocked, catching Geno's eye to exchange an amused look. "I think for this, you should do all the work tonight. Geno and I can relax."

Geno smiled and drained the last of his beer. "Sound perfect to me."

"Traitor," Sid accused, but his eyes were shining with joy and he held out a hand to Geno. "You coming?"

Geno pushed away from the doorframe and swaggered over. She was glad to see him looking so confident. He took Sid's hand and pulled it up to kiss his palm. The love between them was palpable. It took her breath away. 

When she had to leave them to start her summer journey, she kissed Geno on the forehead and cupped his cheeks. "I'm glad he came to his senses," she said in Russian. "You deserve the best."

"Maybe. I'll settle for him, though."

She laughed with him and Sid rolled his eyes because he definitely knew who they were making fun of, but she could feel his good humor when he did it. He hugged her when she pulled back from Geno. "You ready to go?"

"Yes. Don't drop me."

"Never," he assured, and he opened the door to carry her out to her handler.

"We'll see you in July," Sid said before her case was closed. She was already looking forward to seeing them again.

**Author's Note:**

> Question time, friends. And maybe 8 stories in, this isn't appropriate. Where does one find a proofreader, and is that the same thing as a beta?


End file.
